The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1887-06-02
THE FOOL ROOM.

| Lttle Lanby was q cripple. 1t was said
that he had started out with fair pros
poets, physically, but that having, while
quite young, been hooked by steer,
kicked by an old family horse-the most
dangerous OF all creatures-and finally
run over by wood wagon, he settled
down into an ordinary cripple, with one
leg that was much too short and with one
arm that was withered like a wilted polk
stalk. Little Zanby had, from his earliest
infancy, lived in Cypress grove, where
every one was acquainted with the hum
OF his industrious old mothers spinning
wheel. The old woman knew that her
son was going to be u statesman Had he
been strong and able to work, she would
have doubtless INDUCED no such hone. hut
as 1t was she seemed to think that states
manship was about all that was left for
him. The school teacher once had the ex-
IRENE hardihood to tell her that he did not
think 1T was of mach use to send the boy
70 school, adding nat it was cruel to tax
what little mind the child had. The old
woman was putting a fresh t'shuck'' on
the spindle of heEfwheel at the time. She
turned from her)work, which was indeed
a remarkable attention for her to bestow
on any one, looked at the teacher from
head to foot, and said;
Mr.. Scroggins, l see that all the fools
amt dead yit."
"My dear madam
"Don't dear madam me. I see how it
is. You air all jealous o. Zanby. Oh,
you neenter laugh, you great big lubberly
| good-fur-nothin' thing. This very mint
| you ought to be out in the woods splittin'
rails, stead o. maxim your livin' by settin'
round house. You'll never be a states
man, Mr.. Scroggins, never while breath's
In that good fur nothin' body o. yourn.
Git outen my hOuse-gitr'
When the boy came home she took him
into an inner chamber, dark room
whittier she always went to pour out her
| grief, and wept over him.
| About the time Zanby arrived at the age
OF IL years, a change came upon him.
Despite his infirmities, he had ever main
tanned cheerfulness that was the wonder
of sound people, but he suddenly became
gloomy. When some one spoke to his
mother with regard to it, she replied:
It's puffeckly nachul. You KANT ex-
pect boy that's goin' to be a statesman
to allus have the simple grins. Jes let
MIN alone, an he'll come out all right
YES" rejoined the neighbor, Nbut
this mornin' l seed him settin' on the
hisse'f,"
what would you expect q statesman
to do' Allus giggle? Madam, you jis
tend to yore us'ness an I'll try ter
tend to mine"
"Oh, it amt that am tryin' to NEEDLE
with yore business, madam; it's because
we air all interested in little Zanby~ We
air all so ulster SEEM him in the sun that
1t sorter posters us ter see him in the
| shade
"Wall, that neenter bother you none.
That child is comm outen the kinks faster
than you ever seed pusson. WY, you
oughter hear him talk in his sleep. He
talks like a preacher"
The old woman, though she treated the
matter lightly, was deeply troubled, and
when little Zanby came home she studied
his face closely.
"zanby, air yer well, my chileY' she
asked.
| "YeSsumn
| GAS well as you wanter be?''
| "Wen ez l ken be-
GLOW so?''
"W'y, as well as n sore cripple ken be-"
She had never before heard him speak
OF his affiiction; she had never heard him
make remark so serious, and her chin
quivered as she gaZed upon him.
| 81 wuz fool all my life till the other
day." he said. "Now I've got some
sense" he added, after slight pause
| "What have you learnt that's newf''
| she asked.
Learnt that I've aIlus been q fool, l
tell you. I've been n sort o. a butterfly,
but now I'm a hornet"
She looked at him I'm establishment.
"Zanby, know now that you KANT help
bein' q statesman
| Statesman, the devilr'
| "Mussyful heavens, chile, you''--
"That's all right, mother" Zanby broke
I'm. "I've hearn about that all my life
and when wuz fool paid attention to
it an livedson it, for was blind then, but
ken see now. ] know you air surprised to
see that l amt no longer FOOL
The old woman burst into tears. He put
his withered arm about her neck.
| CHAR" he said, "'dOn't cry thiser way.
You oughter be glad that amt no longer
SIGH a fool, even if I don't laugh an try
ter dance"
She dried her eyes, and, though sorrow
ing deeply, could not help but admire the
new expression which Che hitherto simple
boy had found.
| "Zanby," she said, tenderly, holding his
withered arm, "ef yore eyes air opened,
as you say, an eff you air so much smarter
than you ulster be, how ken you hep bein'
a great manS''
| Mother, you mustn't talk to me thater
way any more. My mind is fist as badly
crippled as my body, an it amt nachul
that ken ever amount to anything"
| Her hopes of his coming greatness, and
her never ending talk of the time when he
should be recognized as a leader, con-
stituted her only pleasure, and now, to
be robbed of 1t, brought a fresh flow Of
tears.
| "Thar, now, mother, don't cry. It's
better ter be miserable with some little
sense than ter be a fool an be happy"
| "But, my son." said the old woman,
| endeavoring to be calm, "you amt told
me what has brought about this terrible
changer
"No, an reckon I'd better keep it ter
myself. 1t KANT be he'ped-thar amt
no earthly cure for it,
"But you mout tell yore pore ole
MOTHER
"Tha,, now, don't cry. No, I don't
want ter go i'm thar
She had made motion as though she
would draw him into the dark room. 81
don't want to 60 in thar no more. It's
dark enough out here for me now"
"Don't speak slightin' o. that room, my
| chile. Yore father died i'm thar"
| eyes, 1 know that, an 1 b'leve I'd die
If I wuz to go i'm thar now. KANT hep
you must furgve me-but KANT hep
but think o. that as my fool room"
"W'y, Zanbyr'
81 know / oughtent ter say it, mother,
but / KANT hep but think o. it that way.
1t was in thar fust heard o. my comm
| greatness. You would go I'm thar by your
self ter mourn but tuck me i'm ter make
me feel proud o. myself; an long time
ago, when we'd set i'm thar, I'd think it
wuz a blessed privilege to be a cripple.
Yes, mother, that is my fool room"
She stood in the back yard and looked
after him when he walked down the
branch, deeply troubled. When he came
home at evening, his mother, hoping that
he had repented of what ne said, took him
by the hand and gently attempted to draw
him into the dark room.
81 will not go in the fool room," no
said rather harshly, but quickly putting
his withered arm around her neck, he
softly added: 'Mother, you must not ask
me ter go in thar"
"Jes' one more time, fur feel like the
spirit o. yore father Is thar
He hesitated a moment longer, then
suffered her to lead him into the room.
When they came out he was laughing.
"You shall have hundreds o. fine dresses
when ] make laws" be said, "you